Kings of Leon were forced to cancel a show last week after being showered with pigeon droppings. The flock of avian music critics brought the St Louis concert to a cooing halt after just three songs. "You may enjoy being shit on," explained the band's drummer, "but we don't."

Even before Kings of Leon took the stage at the Verizon Amphitheatre, feathers were being ruffled. As the Postelles and the Stills played their opening sets, pigeons in the arena's rafters made their displeasure known by pelting the bands with excrement. "We couldn't believe what the Postelles and the Stills looked like after their sets," said Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill. "[But] we didn't want to cancel the show, so we went for it."

Everything seemed fine for the first two songs, then Kings of Leon fled the stage after performing Taper Jean Girl. Minutes later, an announcement came over the PA saying that the concert had been cancelled "due to concerns over the band's safety". The audience reportedly booed, hissed and – slightly inaccurately – yelled "Bullshit!"

"We tried to play," Followill explained. "It was ridiculous." According to the band's manager, Andy Mendelsohn, Followill was hit "several times during the first two songs", and on the third number, droppings "landed near his mouth". "They couldn't deal any longer," Mendelsohn said. "It's not only disgusting – it's a toxic health hazard."

"Don't take it out on Jared," drummer Nathan Folowill wrote on Twitter. "It's the fucking venue's fault." The band's management claim the amphitheatre advised them of a "significant pigeon infestation problem", but insisted they were "doing all they could to fix it". They don't seem to have done enough. "So sorry St Louis," Nathan wrote. "Pigeons shitting in Jared's mouth ... We had to bail." It's unclear whether any concertgoers were similarly besmeared, but the gig's promoters are providing full refunds.